Giants Of Mars (9 page)

BOOK: Giants Of Mars

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In a capitulating tone, he asked, “Which is what, Lexis?”

Lexis then looked in the eyes of Jason, and said, “Attack them, and destroy the wormhole generator!”

Like some game, he could see a gleam of excitement radiate from her face.
“Must be her combat programing,”
he thought while listening to her.

“You will be the bait this time, Jason.”

“What’s the plan, Lexis?”

“You will go near the wormhole and de-cloak drawing them out into my crossfire. There I will cut them down like blades of grass under Sam’s lawnmower.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“We need to act, and move fast. Your Power Suit will help even the odds to whatever they throw at us.”

Jason moved uncloaked through the marshy water. Somewhere to Jason’s flank, Lexis stalked waiting for the snake to reveal its head. Jason trained his heavy weapon through the bamboo. The over-under weapon system was too heavy to be carried unless wearing a Power Suit; a SYN could carry one with ease, and both he and Lexis brandished the Polaris super weapon.

The over-under weapon system consisted of a smart grenade launcher under the gun barrel. This technology was much more powerful than a plasma rifle, and above the barrel was a vehicle destabilizer.

His sensors picked up no life forms as he neared the Chameleon but that meant nothing, since the enemy’s positions would not be revealed until the enemy opened fire. The powerful Exo-suit, otherwise known as a Ersatz Power Suit, was state of the art, and could absorb hits from a pulse rifle.

The legs of Jason’s mechanical suit dredged up the bog’s muddy bottom. Jason nearly stumbled over a well-camouflaged dead Humanoid that was floating in the murky water. He noticed a thick blood slick staining the slough.

“They’re killing anything that moves.”
Jason’s imagination raced in a state of near exhausting paranoia, and as he moved closer he could see the exposed nose of the Chameleon. He flinched when he saw all the damaged she sustained, and yelled, “My baby!”

Pressing forward, he noticed the pile of dead Humanoids, their height and skin amazed him.

“A quagmire of death!” said Jason when his sensors picked up a large group moving away from him.

Jason quickly rushed forward through the bamboo until reaching the edge of a savanna; there he zoomed in on a group of Humanoids shimmering amongst the tall grass. He could see Longcra’s dead body being carried off at the end of a large spear.

Lexis de-cloaked next to him and said, “Looks like the Martians did the work for us.”

“They’ll send another group through the wormhole soon enough.” Jason paused looking at the Giants carrying off their trophy, and continued. “We need to destroy the Chameleon, Lexis.”

“That would be the most logical step to take, Jason.”

Jason’s Power Suit just fit through the opening of the Chameleon; he could not imagine what ripped the hatch of his ship.

“Everything is completely destroyed, Lexis!” Jason exclaimed while examining the inside. He continued, “They ripped out everything!”

“It will soon be a moot point, Jason.” Lexis was busy rigging an explosive device to the missile compartment.

“I know but it still makes me sick to see my life’s work end like this.”

Jason searched his quarters for any personal effects but it had seemed Lexis had cleaned the Chameleon out when he was unconscious.

“I am ready, Jason.” Lexis spoke methodically, and Jason thought her Combat Programming was still at play.
“She really seems to be focused on blowing up my dream.”

The two of them exited the Chameleon and Jason stopped to gaze at the ship one last time.

“I’m really going to miss her, Lexis.”

“We will buy a better ship when we get back to Earth, Jason.” She sympathetically spoke.

Jason turned his Power Suit, looked into Lexis’s loving eyes, and almost said I love you to her. For a moment he truly believed they would some how make it back to Earth.

Her beautiful face smiled and she looked directly in his eyes, and in that moment, it was clear to him that she was reading his mind; suddenly a flash exploded from Lexis’s head; her skull and brain matter splashed on to his visor, blinding his visual spectrum. His sensors glowed; a human form stood fifty feet behind where Lexis once was. Instinctively, Jason zeroed in on the infrared image, and unleashed a volley of smart grenades. The ground erupted in a concussion of smoke and fire, instantly killing the hidden man. Jason did not know that he just killed Learner Rotterdam. Jason frantically wiped at his visor, and he could now see her life’s essence on his hands.

He screamed, “No!” His head swelled with such a pain, he dropped to his knees balling over Lexis’s headless body. “I need you, Lexis!”

He stood up in a fit of rage but there was nothing he could do. Nothing would save her this time. Gazing at her in disbelief, Jason stepped backward away from her dead body until he bumped into some, “TIME.”

His body felt stretched when he accidently stepped into a Time Bubble that opened behind him. He was in a state of disbelief that she was gone, and he fulminated over Lexis’s death. He could not care what was happening to him until he glimpsed into the past before stepping out of the Bubble; where a group of men stood waiting to enter the Teserak at Chasm Fat Boy.

Jason’s rage had him pulling the trigger on his rail gun before he had even emerged from the wormhole, and in doing so he had cleared a path, killing everyone in his way.

The destructive rampage of the Humanoids, back on Mars, had altered the Quantum Foam Bubble. They damaged the miniaturized generator on board the Chameleon, sending Jason back in time to when the Teserak’s first Time Bubble opened.

Jason stormed off the Teserak’s platform, stepped over Sergeant Longcra’s dead body that lay splayed amongst the two Combat SYNs; and scanned his forefront, destroying anything that moved. Until in the namesake of revenge, he could not believe his fortuitous but insidious luck; there was Learner Rotterdam running next to Mitchell Thacker towards the Raven.

Captain Rengar Falger was inside the Raven when he saw a man emerge from the Teserak, blasting everything in sight. He immediately fired up the Raven’s engine but it would take a few minutes to move the ship. He watched the armored man fire a grenade, bouncing it off the Raven, where it exploded right in front of Learner and Mitchell. They both sprawled out wounded.

Jason walked up and pulled off Learner’s helmet and looked into his eyes. Learner was wounded but conscious, and when Jason was satisfied that Learner had recognized him, Jason grabbed his throat, and ripped the larynx from the man’s neck. Mitchell Thacker looked on in horror as blood fountained from his best friend’s body. Jason then grabbed Mitchell Thacker by the collar, stood up, and stomped on Learner; crushing his head, ending him once and for all.

With Mitchell in one hand, Jason bolted inside the Raven where he threw Mitchell at Falger’s feet, and forcefully spoke. “Close her up, and target the wormhole drive!”

Falger was frozen in a state of pure fear, when Mitchell defiantly yelled, “Fuck you, Bjorn!”

Falger watched Jason step on Mitchell’s balls, crushing them. The Captain of the Raven did not need any more motivation. Pointing his weapon at the back of Captain Rengar Falger’s head, Jason watched the Raven’s missiles destroy the Quantum Foam Generator.